Agricultural wagons, such as grain carts, aid in the harvesting of agricultural products such as corn, beans, or other crop (collectively “particulate material”). The grain carts are configured to receive the harvested grain from a combine or other implement so that the combine can continue to harvest the grain. Many times, a grain cart will move alongside a combine as the combine harvests grain so that the combine can deliver harvested grain to the cart such that the combine will be able to continue to harvest without having to stop to empty its hopper or hoppers. Once the combine hopper has been transported to the grain cart, the grain cart is able to transport the grain to a storage or transport vessel, such as a semi-trailer.
Augers are generally used to transport the grain from the grain cart to the storage vessel. A vertical or lift auger is positioned on or in the grain cart with one end in or near the grain, and the other end extending generally upwardly and outwardly from the cart. The positioning of the lift auger allows the grain to be moved from the storage area of the grain cart to the trailer. The lift auger may also be adjustable or movable such that the auger can be directed to aim the grain towards trailers of differing heights, sizes, or the like. The adjustability also allows the grain to be directed to exact locations within the trailer or area.
Early grain wagon designs placed the lift, unloading, or discharge auger at the side of the wagon's bin. Later designs located the unloading auger on a front corner of the bin to position the discharge end of the unloading auger in a location more easily seen by the operator of a tractor pulling the grain wagon. To reduce the size of the grain wagon for facilitating storage and transport to and from a field, the unloading auger is typically comprised of upper and lower sections, which are pivotally coupled such as by a hinge. The upper auger section is adapted for folding to a position in closely spaced relation to the wagon's bin. In the case of a side discharge wagon, the upper section of its folding auger is not clearly visible to the vehicle operator who must be careful to avoid contact between the auger and the offloading truck. This generally requires the operator to unfold the auger well away from the truck and to then move the wagon in position relative to the truck for unloading. This latter operation is rendered more difficult by exhaust pipes and other structures, which frequently project upward, from larger trucks. Corner auger wagons overcome this problem by folding the upper auger section across the front of the wagon to allow the operator to clearly see the auger as it is moved to the extended, or unloading, position.
The lift or unload augers have traditionally been fixed in position on the left side of the storage bin, when viewed with the direction of travel. This has allowed a vehicle operator to view the storage bin outside the left window of the tractor or via a mirror on the left side of the tractor. This may have been in keeping with other vehicles in which the driver side is on the left of the vehicle. However, many modern tractors include controls, displays, and other items on the right side of the cab. Therefore, an operator will need to continually move back and forth between the left side to view the position of the lift auger, and the right side to view the tractor controls, displays, etc. This can create undesired motion and work, and could lead to accidents if the operator spends too much time looking at one side and not the other.
Therefore, there is a need in the art for an agricultural wagon that includes an unload auger that can be moved to either side or corner of the wagon, to provide a vehicle operator with choices to monitor the location of said auger.